Heaviest rain in nearly a year has fallen at Midway tonight! 2.02″ fell this evening amid 50 mph wind gusts. 1.50″ of that total came down in just 30 minutes! The last time that much rain fell at Midway was on July 23 last summer when 2.30″ fell.

Huge relief. We were all dancing around the house at midnight calling out to each other when we started to hear the drops fall on the roof (we’d been hearing thunder and seeing lightning for more than an hour prior to the actual rain). You can already see the grass starting to green up, and I’m sure my vegetables are loving this.

At the Green Party’s 2012 National Convention in Baltimore over the weekend, Massachusetts physician Jill Stein and anti-poverty campaigner Cheri Honkala were nominated the party’s presidential and vice-presidential contenders. We air the convention’s keynote address delivered by Gar Alperovitz, a professor of political economy at the University of Maryland and co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative. Alperovitz is the author of, “America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy.” In his remarks, Alperovitz stressed the importance of third-party politics to challenge a corporate-run society. “Systems in history are defined above all by who controls the wealth,” Alperovitz says. “The top 400 people own more wealth now than the bottom 185 million Americans taken together. That is a medieval structure.”

In 2008, Barack Obama pledged to raise the minimum wage every year once elected, but the hourly rate of $7.25 hasn’t increased since 2007. Low-wage workers now make far less than they did four decades ago. Last week Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. introduced The Catching Up to 1968 Act of 2012. It draws its name from the idea that the federal minimum wage would be $10.55 an hour now if it had kept up with inflation over the past 40 years. While the bill has about 20 co-sponsors so far President Obama has yet to endorse it. We speak to longtime consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

A real movement is not limited to a small party. A real movement touches everyone. In Wisconsin, a real movement did just that. In this video, John Nichols explains how the state came together—from the young to the old, from the private sector to the public—in a show of diversity that formed the basis for a broader struggle.

Van Jones introduces the Rebuild the Dream Revivals, where musicians, artists, and community and national leaders are coming together with thousands of everyday people to envision an America that works for us all. RSVP now at http://rebuildrevivals.org/wi to join Rebuild Wisconsin on May 19 in Milwaukee.

My Dad was fond of that old cliche that “close only counts in horseshoes” and I have to admit that last night’s attempt to recall at least three Scott Walker Republicans yesterday, in order for Democrats to take control of the state senate struck me as that way. 2. Close, but it doesn’t count. Only it does in that it’s going to be a lot harder for Scott Walker to get reallly insane legislation through. And it’s a gain of territory.

And of course, today is not just the day after the Wisconsin recall, it’s the day the Wisconsin Democratic Party turns the bulk of its efforts to defending the two Democratic seats that are subjects of attempted Repub recalls. And after that, why it’s Scott Walker’s turn.

Wisconsin recall elections are happening today and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America have set up a website where you can volunteer to help get out the vote right from the comfort of your own home.

They provide the numbers and the script.

The next call shift is this afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. CDT. If you can’t call this afternoon there will be a last shift from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. CDT (polls close in Wisconsin at 8:00 p.m CDT.)

C’mon, you know you want to change the world – it’s really very easy – just click on this handy link and volunteer now. You’ll feel much better in the morning.

Solidarity!

UPDATE: I just found out about this site (that’s another handly link for you) belonging to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. You can make calls through this site too, and it has a handy rundown of the races.